Sometimes we run into people or things that should be more flexible, but instead become obstinate obstacles. We can accept them as they are. Or, we can decide to do something about them. Case in point: my 9th grader received a vibraphone rental for Christmas this year. However, being a cheap rental, it did not… Continue reading Admiring perseverance
Month: January 2020
Joy is not all ponies and rainbows
The last two posts make it sound like choosing happiness is easy - just a matter of programming ourselves to always do so. Let's be realistic, and not buy completely into the hype. First of all, many people are playing life on "hard mode," as they fight chemical dependencies, depression, or other neurological illnesses. Those… Continue reading Joy is not all ponies and rainbows
Using consistency to choose happiness
In my last post's story, the always-happy friend is concerned about self-consistency. That's not surprising, because consistency is a great tool to persuade our brains to behave the way we want to behave. Psychologists will tell you that, as humans, we want to be (and to be seen as) consistent with our self-image. We want… Continue reading Using consistency to choose happiness
Owning happiness
There's a (possibly apocryphal) story that a motivational speaker gave which has stuck with me over the years. It goes something like this: "I have a friend who I think was the happiest guy in the world. When people asked him, 'How are you?' he would respond, 'I'm great! Because I'm happy. I'm the happiest… Continue reading Owning happiness
Out of sync with the world
You're ready to go. You've got this. You come out of the gates at full speed. Chaaaaaaarge...! But wait - the world has different ideas today. What's the old Yiddish saying? "Man plans; God laughs." Maybe the emails and calls you're waiting for don't arrive. Decisions aren't made, leaving your work in limbo. The injury… Continue reading Out of sync with the world
The Joys of JJFoley 